LUKE 12:49-56

49  “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!

50 I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!

51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.

52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three.

53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens.

55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens.

56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

57 “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?

58 As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison.

59 I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”

Most people don’t like conflict and yet we live in a world that is a virtual tsunami of conflict.   Those conflicts range from the really big ones in Syria and Egypt all the way down to the ones that you deal with from time to time at work and school and at home.   Consider if you will the mother who had to punish her eight year old son for misbehaving.   The mother sent him to his room and then when it was time for dinner she sat him down at a table to eat his meal alone in silence.  As he sat there with a scowl on his face she put a plate in front of him and said very sternly “Before you eat a single bite you better say grace.”   Well, not only did the mischievous miscreant do as he was told but he also included a verse from the 23^rd Psalm in his prayer.  He bowed his head and said, “Lord I thank you for this table that you have prepared before me in the presence of my enemies.”

Do you like conflict? Most people don’t like conflict but Jesus wasn’t like most people.  Jesus was opposed to violence but he wasn’t opposed to conflict.  Jesus didn’t avoid conflict. He met it head on.  Just look at the Pharisees. Jesus butted heads with the Pharisees on more than one occasion.  He called them white washed tombs and he called them a brood of vipers.  When they criticized him for healing people on the Sabbath he called them hypocrites and he said they had no compassion in their hearts for those who were suffering.

Yes, Jesus was opposed to violence but he wasn’t opposed to conflict.  Do you remember when he stormed into the Temple and turned over the tables of the money changers? And how about the time he got angry with Peter and shouted, “Get behind me Satan! For you are setting your mind not on the things of God but the things of men.” (Mark 8:33)

All of this brings us to the words of wisdom that are waiting for us this morning in Luke’s Gospel.   Now I have to ask.  Did when you heard those words did they make you a little uncomfortable?  Did you think to yourself that doesn’t sound like the Jesus I learned about in Sunday School? 

Jesus said, “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth?  No, I tell you but rather division.  For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Yes, Jesus was opposed to violence but he wasn’t opposed to conflict.  That’s because Jesus knows that conflict can be good. Jesus knows that conflict can help you to grow and become a better person.  Conflict can lead you to a better understanding of what is good and right and true!

In order for that to happen though you have to move beyond the usual way of dealing with conflict.   You have to move beyond the attitude that says, “I’m right and because I’m right that means everyone else is wrong.”   The problem with the “I’m right” attitude, however, is that it only leads to a lot of anger and resentment.  Baseball umpire Bill Guthrie saw that one day when the catcher for the home team spent the first three innings complaining and criticizing his calls.  Finally, Guthrie decided that enough was enough.  So, when the fourth inning rolled around and the catcher started to give him a hard time Guthrie took his mask off and stopped him.  “Son,” he said, “you’ve been a big help to me calling balls and strikes, and I appreciate it.  But I think I’ve got the hang of it now.  So, I’m going to ask you to go to the clubhouse now and show them how to take a shower.”

I’m right and you’re wrong.  No. I’m right and you’re wrong.  That’s ridiculous because everyone can see that I’m right and you’re wrong.  That’s what you see in a lot of conflict these days.  That’s not the kind of conflict that Jesus is talking about though when he told the disciples that he came not to bring peace but division.    That’s not the kind of conflict that Jesus is talking about when he said that because of him families will be divided father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. 

No. When it comes to dealing with conflict the key isn’t whether you’re right or the other person is right.  The key is knowing that behind every confrontation and conflict, behind every disagreement, dispute and debate Jesus is the one who’s right.   In fact, that’s what Jesus is getting at when he talks about knowing how to interpret the weather. 

Now I have to ask again. Did you find that part of the passage a little confusing?  It wouldn’t surprise me if you did because at first glance it is a little confusing.  Jesus is talking about conflict and then all of a sudden he’s talking about the weather.  He says,  “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens.  And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens.  You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?”

Here’s what I think Jesus is saying here.  Jesus is saying, “You know how to interpret the weather but you don’t know how to interpret who I am or what I’m all about.  You don’t understand even though I’ve healed all these people.  You don’t understand even though I walked on the Sea of Galilee, multiplied those loaves of bread to feed those 5,000 people  and raised Lazarus from the dead.  You don’t understand even though I’ve made God’s grace and love and truth real for you and hundreds if not thousands of people.”

“Don’t you get it? I’m the messiah you’ve been waiting for all these years.  I’m God’s only begotten Son which means that I am the light of the world.  I am the way and the truth and the life.  So when you’re in the middle of a conflict just remember this.  It doesn’t matter if you’re right or the other person is right.  The most important thing to remember is that I’m the one who is always right.”

I reminded of that twelve years ago when I found myself in the middle of a conflict. We’d just finished expanding the sanctuary and the question was whether to place the altar or the Communion table in front of the window.  The altar had always been front and center but if you go back to our Pilgrim and Puritan roots our sanctuaries didn’t have altars.  That’s because altars were considered too Catholic.  So, we replaced the altar with the Communion table and that’s when things got really interesting.  It wasn’t long before we found ourselves in the middle of a good old fashioned theological fight.  Well, in true congregational fashion a meeting of the congregation was called and you could feel the tension in the air as we gathered to debate the issue.  As we sat there I knew from a theological and historical perspective I was right but then something strange happened.  Just as the meeting got started I felt the Holy Spirit came over me and a voice in my head said, “You know there are children starving in India.  So, do you really think God cares if there’s an altar or a Communion table in front of that window?”   In that grace filled moment I suddenly realized that it didn’t matter if I was right or not.  So, I stood up and said, “Mr. Moderator, I move that the altar be returned to the front of the sanctuary.  The motion was quickly seconded.  A vote was taken and the motion passed.  The meeting lasted all of five minutes.

Yes…conflict can be good.  It can lead you to grow and become a better person.  It can lead you to a better understanding of what is good and right and true.  All you have to do is stop worrying about who’s right and who’s wrong and remember that Jesus is the one who’s always right.  Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes

September 8, 2013